"Doc…..? Is that you?" Akira stared at the door to Leblanc, speechless as he managed to make out the person who was standing in the cold spring air, none other than one Takuto Maruki. "Come in, and have a seat. It's….a pleasure seeing you again."

Akira chose his words carefully, as he was still slightly wary from the version of Doc that haunted his dreams for many nights over the past year. Maruki noticed this as he walked through the door, trying to keep his comforting smile on his face as he took a seat opposite Akira and Sumire in the booth.

"Hello, Akira-kun and Yoshizawa-san." Maruki greeted them with a smile. " You both seemed to be in high spirits just a moment ago, I hope I didn't interrupt anything…"

"No, it's fine Doctor Maruki! And please, call me Sumire. I've embraced who I truly am, so there's no need for formalities."

"Ah, that's right…" Maruki turned his head to the side and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, before he looked at Sumire and smiled. "I'm happy for you though, Sumire-san. You're a prime example of showing me that my actualization, as you called it, didn't need to happen."

"Your intentions were good though, Doc. Don't sweat the details…" Akira firmly got his point across as he got out from his place in the booth. "Do you want some coffee? It's not as good as Boss', but I do make a pretty good cup…"

"Thank you, Akira-kun. I'd love a cup of coffee, a hint of sugar. Oh, if you don't mind that is. I'd rather not make you uncomfortable…"

"It's fine, Doc. It isn't your fault," Akira grabbed a bag of Panama Esmeralda Geisha and started to grind the beans. "I'm just a little... on edge, and I just didn't expect to see you tonight, so what's up?"

"Ah, right. I actually nearly forgot that it was Yoshizaw- I mean Sumire-san's birthday today! So I wanted to drop by your house for a little visit…" Maruki shook his head when he remembered going to Sumire's house and finding out that she wasn't home..

"Ah! I'm sorry I wasn't there to greet you Doctor Maruki…" Sumire apologised, but Maruki waved it off with a confident smile.

"It wasn't your fault, Sumire-san. I should've called ahead of time," Maruki consoled her as he relaxed in his seat. "In any case I just thought that if you weren't home at this late an hour, you'd probably be at Leblanc with Akira, and here I am."

"That's some good intuition on your part, Doc. I'm impressed…" Akira responded with a slightly intrigued look on his face, and soon brought him the warm cup of coffee and set it on the table in front of him. "But you must've had some reason to come by, so what is it?"

"Getting right to the point I see. You were always like that, even when I was counselling in Shujin…" Maruki reminisced as he glanced at Akira with a genuine smile. "Anyways, I just wanted to visit Sumire-san to wish her a happy birthday, and drop off a little present I managed to find."

Maruki handed Sumire a well wrapped present with a smile as she gracefully accepted it and thanked him for the well wishes.

"Oh please, there's no need to thank me. I was just doing this to show a little appreciation, and to apologise for two years ago…" Maruki looked down-trodden for a moment though he quickly shook it off and brought back a smile. "I wasn't really sure what to get you, but I hope you like it!"

"Would you mind if I opened it now, Doctor Maruki? I'm really curious about it now!" Sumire excitedly held the present to her chest, as Akira smiled at her.

Maruki shook his head. "Please do. And if I'm being honest, I'd be a whole lot more relieved if I could see your initial reaction."

Sumire slowly unwrapped her present, untying the bow that the ribbon around it had been tied into. Inside was a cookbook, full of recipes and flavors she had always wanted to try making. She jumped up in her seat ecstatically as she thanked Maruki for the present. "Thank you Doctor Maruki! I've always been looking for a good cookbook to try and expand my horizons! This will really help me with that!"

"I'm glad to see you like it that much. It was a struggle picking out something for you, but something about that cookbook told me that you'd like it." Maruki chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. "Although truth be told, I had another reason for coming here."

Akira froze and tensed up, as he turned towards Maruki with a stern face and glared at him, immediately wary of the several possible ways this could go. Maruki sensed this, and put his hands up in an attempt to calm him down.

"Calm down, Akira-kun, it's nothing like what you think it is, trust me." Maruki lowered his hands as he faced the two of them with a serious expression. "I just wanted to come and say a thank you in person, Akira-kun. You managed to help me complete my paper, and successfully changed my heart two years ago. I've been looking for a way to still continue what I love doing, but with a more realistic approach."

"Alright… So what did you have in mind, Doc?" Akira questioned as Maruki took another sip of his coffee. "Nothing involving cognitive psience, or the Metaverse, right?"

"No no, nothing of the sort. That would be impossible now that the Metaverse has been permanently erased. I've been planning on starting a non-profit organisation, for people dealing with or having had to deal with severe mental trauma, Sumire-san over here being a good example."

"That's great Doctor Maruki! I'm happy for you!" Sumire enthusiastically congratulated Maruki as he gave her the biggest smile he could possibly offer. "Now you can start to help people again!"

"Thank you, Sumire-san. I'm glad you see it that way. I'm planning to follow my dream with a more practical and realistic approach, something I've learned from the Phantom Thieves," Maruki said with happiness as he looked to the both of them with a serious, yet kind expression on his face. "This is where I need a little help. Sumire-san, it would mean a lot to me if you could occasionally lend me your input from time to time…"

"Me?!" Sumire reacted with a surprised look, while Akira simply nodded his head. "Why me, Doctor Maruki?"

"Let me, Doc," Akira cut in, as Maruki gave him a surprised look, but it soon changed to an understanding smile as he relaxed in his seat.

"Go ahead, Akira-kun."

"Doc here wants your input, and I'm sure it's because you're a person that's gone through some of your own mental trauma, and has had your life impacted a lot because of it. It'd only be natural that he'd seek your advice, sweetheart."

"Right on the nose. I'm impressed, Akira-kun. You're a very perceptive person." Maruki pointed out. "But he's right, Sumire-san. I seek your advice because you're a person who has made it

"I'm honored that you'd seek my advice Doctor Maruki! I'll help in any way I can!" Sumire nodded her head in enthusiasm.

"I cannot express my gratitude enough to you, Sumire-san, Akira-kun, and all of the Phantom Thieves. You all have changed my life and my way of thinking. This is the least I can do to repay for all you've done," Maruki solemnly smiled at the duo, as he took another sip of coffee, and proceeded to down the cup. "That was some good coffee, Akira-kun. You weren't lying when you said you make a good cup."

"I'm glad you liked it, Doc."

"It is getting pretty late though, I'm glad we could have this talk," Maruki gave the two of them one final smile as he got up from his seat and headed towards the door. "Thank you both, again. If I have any need for either of you, I'll leave a message, and I hope you won't hesitate to do the same for me. Have a good night."

Maruki opened the door to the chilly spring air as the bells chimed once more, walking out of the cafe, leaving Akira and Sumire truly alone for the remainder of the night.

"Senpai? Are you alright?" Sumire questioned him with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm probably just overly cautious. I always feel like I want to be able to talk like we did two years ago when he worked at Shujin, but I just…" Akira couldn't finish his sentence, feeling as though something was stopping him. Memories of Maruki's 'paradise' soon came back to him as he started to tear up, looking towards Sumire for reassurance.

"Don't worry, Senpai… I understand." Sumire comforted him as well as she could, giving him a brief hug. "It's because of those nightmares you've been having, isn't it? From what Morgana's been telling me, they'd do that to anyone. But I know you're better than that Senpai, so please, keep fighting the nightmares."

"Thank you, Sumire…" Akira sniffled as he wrapped her in another hug. Sumire happily accepted his warm embrace as they stayed that way for several minutes, Akira occasionally letting out a single tear as he expressed his emotions to the one he loved the most. "Please... Take care of me, Sumi…"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Senpai…" Sumire whispered quietly as they both broke from the hug. "I'll always be here for you, now and forever. I only wish that you didn't keep quiet about these things…"

Sumire looked a little hurt, as Akira gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and apologised for it.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. If anything like this ever happens again, I'll be sure to let you know about it. I didn't mean to worry you, but I just didn't want you to have to worry about me…" Akira trailed off, as Sumire vigorously shook her head in disagreement.

"Senpai… If anything, I'd be happy to help you," Sumire replied quietly, as she looked up to him and nodded her head. "Just like you helped me two years ago…"

Akira nodded his head, as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Right. Thank you, Sumire….. I really don't know where I'd be without you…"

"It's alright Senpai… Sometimes I think about what would have happened if you weren't there to shake me out of my own deluded happiness…" Sumire muttered, looking away. "But I always try to move past the 'what ifs' and try to look at what we have now. I have an amazing boyfriend, and the best group of friends I'd never give up for the world. You've all helped me through so much, and I'd love to do the same for everyone if they ever need it."

Akira let a small smile creep onto his face. "That means a lot coming from you, sweetheart. Thank you…"

"Always, and forever, Senpai…" Sumire comforted him as a gentle smile soon appeared on her face. "Let's wash up and get ready for bed, alright? It's been a long day, I'm sure you're tired."

Akira's smile didn't last long as it soon turned into a brief smirk. "Are you sure you don't want to open your presents? If that's the case, I'm sure you wouldn't mind me keeping them, right?"

"Senpai! You wouldn't!" Sumire played along as she fake pouted, before breaking out into a laugh with Akira as they both got changed and washed up for the night.

Take Your Time

Akira stepped out of the bathroom in his usual sleeping clothes feeling refreshed as he let out a loud yawn, before looking over at the counter and seeing his girlfriend yawn as well.

"Senpai! You know that's *yawn* contagious!" Sumire yawned, then soon laughed.

"Sorry, sweetheart. You know I can't help it," Akira laughed in response as he offered his hand to her. "Shall we go upstairs though? I've moved your presents upstairs so we can open them in the room. The futon's set up as well."

"Right, Senpai! I'm really thankful for everyone even planning something for my birthday, and especially thankful to have such a good boyfriend," Sumire teased as she took his hand, following him upstairs to his comfy attic room. "I wonder what everyone chose to get me…"

As they both looked over to the pile of presents, wrapped up in different styles of wrapping paper, they started figuring out which was whose.

"That's definitely Ryuji's, I can see a lot of careless wrapping mistakes he made…" Akira called out, pointing to a present that's a little weathered on the outside. "That'd be Futaba's, I can definitely tell Sojiro helped her out with that, and there's no mistaking that Feathermen wrapping paper."

"Yeah, I see what you mean, but at least he tried his best!" Sumire replied as she picked up another present. "These two seem to be very well wrapped, I can't really spot the difference between them…"

"The one on the right is Makoto's, and I'd assume the one on the left is Ann's."

"Wow, Senpai! I'm impressed! How could you tell?"

"Simple, really. Buchimaru-kun wrapping is definitely Makoto, and you can tell that the other one is Ann's because hers is simply wrapped but looks nice," Akira explained as Sumire looked at him impressed. "I guess spending a lot of time with them resulted in me noticing a lot of their habits…"

"That only shows how much you care about them Senpai!" Sumire eagerly told him as she set down the two presents she was holding. "You notice these things because you care about their likes and dislikes and you make sure to never get on the wrong side of anyone. I actually really admire you sometimes…"

Akira shrugged. "I try my best. I guess I just have a knack for noticing the subtle things."

"So, this would be Morgana's present, right? I can see he definitely tried his best at wrapping it himself, but the wrapping tore up a little…"

"Yeah, I can imagine how hard it is to wrap presents with cat paws, but he did an amazing job."

Sumire looked towards the final present, which seemed to be the largest out of them all.

"So that final present would be…?"

"Haru's and Yusuke's."

"Ah, I really don't want to ask Senpai, but where's yours? I can't help but wonder what you got for me..." Sumire questioned innocently as she took Ryuji's present and began unwrapping it.

"I'm saving the best for last, sweetheart," Akira smirked as he saw Sumire immediately freeze and turn a bright shade of crimson. "I hope you like it."

"A-Ah, r-right Senpai! T-Thank you…" Sumire stuttered quietly as she finished unwrapping Ryuji's present.

Sumrie opened the cardboard box that was inside the wrapping paper to find a small electronic wristwatch that seemed to fit her perfectly.

"This is the newest model of that smartwatch I saw a while back! How did he know I was looking for one of these?!" Sumire exclaimed in surprise as she tried on the watch and played around with the features. "I'll need to thank Ryuji later, what a thoughtful gift!"

"Hold on, I think there's something else inside the box," Akira pulled out a handwritten note that Sumire hadn't noticed earlier as he began to read it aloud.

"Heya Sumire! I honestly didn't know what to get for you for your birthday, but then I remembered that we're both athletes! I actually have one of these watches myself that I use for when I work out and it's been pretty nifty! I hope you had a nice birthday and can find good use for my present!"

Ryuji

"I'm honestly impressed that Ryuji managed to think of something like this," Akira smiled as he watched his girlfriend try the watch on in awe, navigating through all the features before soon taking it off and putting it back in the box. "How do you like it?"

"I love it! I wish I could thank him right now, but I think I'll wait for tomorrow before sending him a thank you. It's pretty late right now…" Sumire replied, picking up Ann's present, and started unwrapping it. "I wonder what Ann-senpai got for me…"

"Knowing Ann, it'd probably be something fashionable," Akira laughed jokingly. "She never fails to keep up with the industry, being a model and all."

Sumire perks up at this. "Oh, you're right Senpai! I almost forgot that Ann-Senpai is in the modelling business!"

"I'm actually curious to see what she got for you."

"Alright, alright Senpai! You don't need to rush me," Sumire teased as she finished unwrapping the present, and opened the box to find a blue hair ribbon and a box of chocolates, along with another handwritten note.

"Chocolates and a new ribbon? She really knows you well…" Akira chuckled as Sumire took the handwritten note out and started reading it aloud.

"Hi Sumire! Happy birthday! I went out shopping with Makoto, but I couldn't really find anything that I thought would look good on you, until we came across this ribbon! We thought it would go well with the blue dress you often wear. I hope you like it!"

Ann

"How thoughtful of her! I really like it!" Sumire exclaimed as she undid her current hair ribbon and tied up the new one, and gave a quick spin to show it off to Akira. "So Senpai, what do you think?"

"I think it looks amazing. It really gives off a different aura, and I like that. Ann really has a good eye when it comes to fashion…" Akira admired as he watched his girlfriend smile in agreement. Looking at the note again, Akira noticed a little bit of writing at the bottom that his girlfriend seemed to have missed. "It seems you missed a PS, Sumi."

"Did I? What does it say?"

"PS: I hope you enjoy those chocolates! I bought these right before I flew back in from New York. I hope you can enjoy them with your family or someone special to you!"

"Oh right! I was wondering why there was a box of chocolates in there too! That's really nice of her!"

"Knowing Ann, this seems like something she'd do. Those chocolates look really good too," Akira said, looking at the chocolates in hunger. "As much as I'd love to start eating them now, it probably isn't so healthy to do it at this hour..."

"Yeah, you're probably right Senpai…" Sumire sighed as she put down the box of chocolates near the smartwatch and picked up Futaba's present.

"This would be Futaba-senpai's present, right?" Sumire asked, as she started tearing up the wrapping paper. "I wonder what she got me…"

"Oh I think you're gonna love this. I helped her pick between two things, and I thought this one was much better after a certain night together..." Akira smirked as Sumire flushed a light shade of red after hearing what he said.

"You helped her pick it Senpai? If that's the case, I'm sure I'll love it!"

Sumire finished unwrapping the gift to find the 1/7th scale Feather White figure that Futaba managed to pay for with her own hard earned money, and another handwritten note fell out of the wrapping paper as she admired the present.

"Is this… a Featherman White figurine?! How did she know?!" Sumire shouted in glee as she immediately inspected the box and then the figure inside. "The model is very well made, you can see the attention to detail in the costume! I love it Senpai! And thank you Futaba-senpai! I know you can hear me, so thank you!"

*BZZ* *BZZ*

Akira and Sumire both smiled as Sumire took out her phone and checked her IMs, Akira looking over her shoulder as she opened the new message from Futaba.

Private Messaging (FeatherCyanIsInnocent and SumiEvergarden)

FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Mwehehe! I'm happy you liked it! I put a lot of hard work into earning that money, so you'd better take real good care of it, alright?

SumiEvergarden: Of course, Futaba-senpai! I'll treasure it with all my heart!

FeatherCyanIsInnocent: I'm happy to hear it! Have a good night with Akira, alright? And Akira? Make sure not to go too far with her, if you know what I mean! ;) Good night!

FeatherCyanIsInnocent has gone offline

Akira could only shake his head in embarrassment while his girlfriend blushed a darker shade of red. Akira picked up the handwritten note and noticed that instead of Futaba's scribbly writing, it was a much neater more organised stroke of notes that filled the page.

"This isn't Futaba's handwriting… Did Sojiro write this? I wonder what he said…" Akira muttered as he started reading it aloud.

"Hello, Yoshizawa-san, and happy birthday! I haven't really spoken to you much on a personal level, but I wanted to send you my regards either way. Akira seems to have seen something in you, something which he never saw in any of the other girls. He would never admit it, but I can guarantee that he sees a genuine burning love in his heart for you. Never lose sight of it. I wish you two the best of luck, and once again, happy birthday from myself, and Futaba."

Sojiro

"How nice of him! And is that true, Akira-senpai?" Sumire teased as Akira soon started to blush a little too as he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"If you want me to say it, then yes, it's true. I've never felt the same way I felt for you with anyone else. You're my one and only, and I will never lose you." Akira spoke from the heart, earning a genuine smile from Sumire, as he smiled back at her.

"Thank you Senpai. I'm happy to hear it."

Sumire then picked up Makoto's present, looking at the Buchimaru-kun wrapping paper, before starting to unwrap the present with care. Akira could see from the shape of it that it was a plush toy, but he couldn't make out what it was until Sumire finished unwrapping it.

"Is that...ME?!" Akira yelped in surprise as Sumire pulled the plush out of its wrapping and immediately gave it a large hug. "Makoto... actually got a custom plush made... of me..."

"I LOVE IT! It's so adorable!" Sumire exclaimed in happiness as she continued hugging the plush before stopping and putting it next to her boyfriend, comparing the two. "It really is well made! It captures your stoic expression, your glasses, the smug smile, all down to the Shujin uniform! I absolutely adore it!"

"I'm glad to hear it…?"

Sumire and Akira both admired the workings and details of the plush before Sumire picked up another handwritten note on the floor that wasn't previously there, and started reading it aloud.

"Dear Sumire,

I wanted to wish you a happy birthday, and I hope you had fun at the party! This present may seem to be out of the blue, but I can explain. I've had an inkling of suspicion that you and Akira have been dating for some time, so I took a gamble. Hopefully it paid off, and you can enjoy that plush. "

Best wishes,

Makoto

"Always one for formality, as usual…" Akira sighed as he looked back at the plush. "This is a very well made plush though, although I'm surprised she could have it done so quickly. This kind of quality in such a short amount of time is really quite surprising."

"I'm surprised she managed to deduce that we were together in such a short time. I guess we weren't subtle enough," Sumire said thoughtfully, as she put the plush on the futon next to her pillow, and picked up the final two presents. "I wonder which I should open next?"

"I'd say save Haru's and Yusuke's for last, partially because I've already seen it and they put a lot of hard work into it. Morgana's would match it well though."

"I guess I'll be opening Morgana-senpai's present next then!"

Sumire eagerly started unwrapping it with ease. Inside was a simple and plain looking cardboard box that she eagerly opened to find a pair of red gloves.

"Are these… These are the gloves from my Phantom Thief outfit!" Sumire gushed in excitement as she admired the delicate craftwork that Morgana had put into the gift. "These look amazing! They're really accurate from what I remember of my outfit! I'll have to thank Morgana later…"

"Try them on...Violet," Akira smirked looking at his girlfriend as he immediately saw her look away from him, blushing intensely. Sumire took a deep breath, before looking at her boyfriend and giving him a confident smile.

Sumire put on her gloves as she struck an elegant pose, resembling the time the two of them fought together in the Metaverse, before breaking the act and laughing. Akira couldn't help but laugh too.

"Just like old times."

Sumire nodded. "I really miss my Phantom Thief outfit though. That outfit really fit me well too…"

Akira tried to be as subtle as possible while changing the topic. "Well, I hope the last present will cheer you up a little. Yusuke and Haru worked really hard on it!"

"I wonder what they managed to get for me…" Sumire wondered as she picked up the present and began to unwrap it slowly. Underneath all the wrapping paper was a somewhat large cardboard box, inside it containing the mask and her Phantom Thief outfit Haru and Yusuke made with care. "My… My Phantom Thief outfit!? But… but how?!"

"Yusuke has a surprisingly good memory, from what I know. He made a detailed sketch of you in your Phantom Thief outfit and then called Haru over to help with the making of the leotard, the cape, and the mask," Akira explained with a big grin on his face, as he looked at his speechless girlfriend and patted her on the head.

"I… I don't know what to say… I'm a little overwhelmed…" Sumire gave her boyfriend a big hug. "I'm so happy right now!"

"I'm happy that you're happy sweetheart. You should definitely thank them later. They put a lot of time and effort into this."

"Of course! I'm really happy! I've missed this outfit so much! Even though I won't be able to wear it out in public, I'm still happy that I get to even see this outfit again! I would've never thought I'd see it again…" Sumire visibly perked up as she noticed two distinct pieces of paper sticking out from the black design of the outfit in the box.

"One note from each of them, I see… Which one will you read first?"

"How about this one?" Sumire picked up a note with neat cursive handwriting and started reading it aloud.

"Hello, Sumire! I hope you had a wonderful birthday party and a wonderful birthday! I was a little hesitant on what to do for your birthday, but then Yusuke-kun reached out to me asking for help on his idea! We managed to work it out together and you can see the end product. I hope you liked it!"

Haru

Sumire jumped a little after reading Haru's letter out loud. "I can't believe they actually managed to work together and recreate my Phantom Thief outfit! Paired with the gloves Morgana gave me, I actually have the very same outfit!"

"Shall I read Yusuke's next?"

"Go ahead, Senpai!"

"Sumire, I wish you on behalf of us all, a very happy birthday. I hope you like the present that Haru and I have spent countless hours working on. It seems to have turned out well, and I'm quite happy to say that the finished product in front of you was a success. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors."

Yusuke

"Words cannot express the joy that I'm feeling right now Senpai! Everyone had such amazing gifts for me!" Sumire exclaimed in happiness, nearly jumping in joy. "I really enjoyed today, Akira-senpai… Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me…"

"I'm really happy to hear it. I enjoyed today as much as you did. We really need to go on more dates…" Akira teased as his girlfriend, as she flushed crimson. "But I think you've forgotten about one small thing…"

"W-What would that be?"

"Close your eyes, sweetheart. Trust me."

Sumire closed her eyes. She couldn't keep them closed for long before sneaking a peek at what Akira was doing, seeing him walk over to his work desk and grabbing something, before quickly shutting her eyes again. Akira walked over to her after grabbing what he needed as quietly as possible, as to not give her any hints on what he was up to. He first untied her ribbon and gracefully let her hair down before handing her the plushie of himself for her to snuggle with.

"Senpai? What are you doing?" Sumire asked out of curiosity with her hands still around the plush, to which Akira shook his head with a smile, and patted her on the head.

"I'm almost done, Sumi. Give me a little more time." Akira spoke gently, making her relax a little more as he visibly saw her loosen up. He sighed at the sight of his girlfriend, so vulnerable yet so trusting of her boyfriend.

…

….

…..

Sumire felt the glasses on her face get removed, and then put back on, before feeling a pair of lips on her own, to which she immediately leaned forward into the kiss, with her eyes still closed.

The both of them soon broke from the kiss and Sumire opened her eyes, immediately noticing the new pair of glasses that were on her face. "Senpai! These are new glasses! The lenses are at the right power too! How did you know?!"

"Well, I went to the optics shop in Kichijoji, because I remember going there with you to pick up your dad's glasses, and I may or may not have mentioned your name…" Akira said with a big grin on his face. "How do you like these frames?"

"I absolutely love them Senpai! Thank you so much!" Sumire gave her boyfriend a big hug, as he happily embraced her in his arms. "It really means a lot to know that you'd go so far out of your way for me."

"Of course, sweetheart. I love you, you know that right? I'd be willing to go to the ends of the earth and back for you," Akira smiled sweetly, as they continued to embrace each other for a little while longer. "Happy birthday, Sumire. I hope it was the best one yet."

"It definitely was Senpai. Thank you for everything. I really mean it," Sumire replied, before letting out a huge yawn, which was soon followed by Akira's own. Sumire started rubbing her eyes out of tiredness.

"I would love to snuggle with you some more, but I think sleep is definitely the priority right now. We should probably go to bed for now."

"Right, Akira-senpai…*yawn*" Sumire yawned, as she took off her glasses and cuddled her new plushie with her as she got into the futon next to Akira. "I love you, Senpai. I'll also try not to make your arm go numb overnight too."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Also, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time," Akira smirked knowingly, as she turned to face him, now lying down face to face with her one and only.

"What is it, Senpai?" Sumire asked in a whisper

"You look nicer with your hair down."

With that, Akira went to sleep, leaving Sumire blushing furiously as she tried to fall asleep for the night with the one she loved.

AN: Sorry for the little delay! I was caught up in a lot of things and didn't have the time to properly finish up my chapter. Wanna give out a huge shoutout to Tharon (The author of Joker on Ice) And Kazura (The author of Retribution of the Trickster) for proofreading and pushing me to get my chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and look forward to more!